The Altered.

Chapter XXXI.

The group reached safety, but only just. The race across the street had been so indiscreet that Miles had practically felt hungry gazes boring through his flesh, but he hadn't dared look to see just how many Altered they'd had to run past.

Now they were all pressed against the back wall of an apartment block, gasping for air. Aaron was hunched over, arms wrapped around his stomach.

"Hey," puffed Miles, prodding Aaron's cheek. "Are you okay?"

Aaron breathlessly assured Miles that he was fine.

"Just because they're losing their minds doesn't mean they're stupid." Miles was addressing everybody now. "They obviously saw us run and they can guess our hiding place easily. We need to be completely invisible as we move to our next place so they can't guess that we've moved."

"Got it," wheezed Kano.

Bronte swept her wavy red fringe from her forehead. "Where are we going to go? How can we go without them seeing us?"

Miles hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Uhh..."

Aaron pointed to the next block of apartments beside the one they currently took shelter behind. "There are apartments and shops lining this whole street. We just need to get from behind one to the next quietly and quickly until we reach the end of the street. Hopefully, by then, we'll have found a supermarket."

Miles nodded. Aaron was right - this side of the street was just the continuous succession of tall housing blocks and small stores. So long as they made it from one place to another, they could reach the end of the street quickly. From there, if they hadn't encountered a store they needed yet, he didn't know where they'd go. But they'd cross that bridge if they got to it.

"Ready?" Miles kept his grip on the handle of his knife tight and crept to the very edge of the apartment block to peer around the corner. It was hard to see what was happening on the street.

This time, he didn't tell the others he was going; he just walked. Then picked up speed once he was sure his friends were following him. From where they'd been previously to the back of the next set of apartments could be more than ten metres, which was crossed in a matter of seconds when he was running.

The group reached the end of the street quickly. They'd hardly stopped in between their dashes from place to place, and it had been an efficient method.

Now they stood behind a convenience store, searching for a way in. Aaron had both hands on the handle of his bat and had the top of it resting on his shoulder.

"You look kind of badass, you know," Miles said to Aaron as the ground crept around the shop, searching for a place to enter.

Aaron looked like he'd been both praised and insulted simultaneously. "Is that a compliment?"

"Just a comment," said Miles with a shrug.

"Guys!" Bronte hissed, peering through a blue-tinted window. "This place looks completely untouched. Nobody's been inside yet."

"That's lucky," Kano said at the same time Miles said, "That's about to change."

They were standing on the side of the shop, now, and were dangerously easy to spot if anybody came creeping around the corner. "Okay, Aaron," Miles said, stepping away from the window. "Your time to shine. Make it quick and quiet."

At first Aaron looked confused, but then understanding flickered onto his face and he lifted the bat. He swung precise and hard, and Miles only just remembered to duck before the bat met the window and shattering glass was sent flying. "I said quietly!" Miles snapped.

"How do you expect me to break a window quietly?" Aaron retorted, knocking out all the sharp pieces of glass stuck in the window frame.

"Just hurry up and get inside!" Bronte urged.

Aaron frantically tossed his bat inside and Miles concurrently scowled and winced when he knocked something over inside. Aaron cursed under his breath as he scrambled through the window, and Miles went in after him.

As Bronte and Kano made their way in, Miles took in his surroundings. He'd been in grocery stores before, of course, but not this one. It looked like all the others. Shelves and shelves of items, robots sitting dormant in the corners waiting for the next time they'd have to hurry to restock the shelves or rearrange something. Miles guessed the robots were slumbering right now just like all of the other electronics.

"It's so dark." Aaron turned to Miles, bat back in hand. "Do you have the flashlights?"

"Oh, yeah." Miles tugged the bag off his shoulder and started to unzip it while watching cautiously out the front windows. "We need to be careful, guys. The whole front wall of this place is glass. We're easy to see from the outside, so try and keep yourselves moving quickly and hidden behind whatever you can." He tugged the flashlights out of the bag, juggling them with the knife in his hand and issuing one to each member of the group. "Be. Careful."

They all nodded, then disbanded.

Miles tugged his backpack back on once he'd zipped it up and then set off towards the isle full of packeted foods. Anything in the fridge would be no good without the electricity being on, so that was out of the question.

Aaron went to see if any fruits or vegetables were still safe to eat. Kano went to fetch bags they could use from the front counter. Bronte moved for the cosmetics isle - food wasn't the only thing they needed.

As Miles surveyed the shelves in front of him, he tried to determine what they really needed. He was still hungry, even after dedicating significantly to finishing off all the food they'd.

This time around, Miles needed to get things that were filling rather than just what caught his eye first. He moved through the isle, snatching one or two bags of rice and pasta in hopes that they might find a way to cook it. It was harder choosing what to get than he'd thought, and it didn't help that he was constantly having to keep his knife at the ready and eyes darting about to ensure he was safe. So far, nothing seemed to have happened, but his heart was still pounding.

It almost felt too good to be true, but he forced away thoughts like that. He couldn't take opportunities like this for granted. Stuffing the packets into his backpack and picking up the pace a little, he snatched whatever he could from the shelves. He felt guilty, taking things and not paying for them, but he knew it was for his own survival and there was no way they could pay for it anyway.

It wasn't like Miles had stolen things in the past. But it was different when he was with friends and had just come from a party.

Miles continued moving, piling cans and bags of things he could hardly see in the darkness into his arms, still juggling the knife.

Miles froze when at the end of the isle, a figure appeared suddenly. For a moment, Miles couldn't move, fear freezing him in place. His knife was lifted and he could feel his heart leaping.

Then Kano emerged from the shadows, hand outstretched with a bundle of shopping bags.

Miles felt his terror evaporate within seconds, and he reached out and snatched the bags. "Next time tell me it's you."

Kano just looked confused. "... okay?"

Miles was about to say something else when from the other end of the shop, the horrific sound of breaking glass pierced the silence they'd all worked so hard to maintain.

"I swear, if that was Aaron -" Miles started, but then Bronte screamed.

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+1306 Words.